At the same time, Firm, which has been reconstituted under the leadership of Julie Yorn, has scored a Universal deal for an untitled romantic comedy pitch for a script to be written by Ron Bass. The plot of the romantic comedy is being kept under wraps but is said to be in the vein of the scribe’s “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”

U paid high six against seven figures for Bass to pen the script. He will produce the film with Yorn.

Yorn, a partner since she joined the Firm from AMG, took the reins of the film division several months ago. While she maintains her client list, she now spends the majority of her time ramping up film projects for the shingle, which has a first-look deal at Fox.

It proved to be one-stop shopping on “Bachelor Boys,” as Fox 2000’s Elizabeth Gabler and Carla Hacken liked the Saunders book and identified Grant as the right writer.

Book revolves around a London editor who was saved from her emotionally distant family by the close-knit clan next door. Her surrogate mom is dying and makes the woman promise to marry off her sons.

To be published in the U.S. next year, tome reps the latest in a series of aggressive book buys made by the studio. That includes the acquisition last week of Robert Kurson’s “Shadow Divers”; Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi,” for director M. Night Shyamalan; and “Eragon.”

“The studio buys smart books and executes strongly,” Yorn said. “We were lucky that Susannah liked the book as much as we all did. She writes amazingly strong first drafts as evidenced by her first-draft adaptation of ‘In Her Shoes,’ which landed both Curtis and Cameron.”

On the U-based Bass script, Yorn will work with execs Mary Parent and Damien Saccani.